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I have recently completed this piece as a combination of a sort “commission” and “in-character post “ in the form of a sort of lecture or de-briefing regarding the findings in the autopsy / forensic examination performed after the rather untimely demise of a member of the Deathwatch as further detailed in Frater @Lysimachus current Deathwatch PbP Game “ Murderers in Black” ( found here: Deathwatch: Murderers in Black (IC Thread) I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. C&C welcome as always! +++++++++++++++++++++++ The Autopsy of Brother Dendinius. +++++++++++++++++++++++ …. The kill-team had assembled in a small medicae theater inside the Apothecarium. The hololithic projection of the ill-fated Librarian rotated slowly in their midst, fading in and out like a haunting ancestor spirit from some tribal death world. A sharp triangular angry red wedge displayed the path the Black Templar’s sword had taken. After an encouraging nod from the Watch Captain Skaayn, Amaras addressed the Killteam. He was clad in his full warplate and had apparently not released it since the incident in the dormitory. “Brothers, he began. “ I have been asked to brief you all on the essential findings following the recent completion of the post mortem examination rituals regarding the cause of death of Brother-Librarian Dendinius” “First off,it grieves me to report that, due the extent of his injuries. we were sadly only partially successful in the recovery of the Brother- Librarian’s gene-seed. The retrocervical node in particular was completely destroyed. There are also some …further…. complications … that have arisen from the findings during this examination that may make returning it to his Chapter.., well, …problematic.” The apothecary reached inside the projection, bringing up the red smear running through the librarian’s body. “But let us not get ahead of things. First, have a look at this. There is obviously no need to tell any of you that, given the point of entry, the force involved and the resulting trajectory of the attack, the traumatic progression of damage resulting from these injuries led to a progressive cascade of critical damage to several essential physiological processes which- especially in sequence - produced an unavoidable, inevitable and almost imminent lethal outcome “ Amaras ran an armoured finger along the red line, pointing slowly at several locations of the enlarged image. “The death of Brother Dendinius was therefore indeed directly caused by a massive application of sharp edged physical force. There was extensive damage to several neuralgic nodes and neurofibers along the upper cervical vertebrae sequence. These were in addition to vast incisive rupturing of major circulatory vessels along the path of entry before the blade passed down to and through the upper bronchial bifurcation of his primary lung, a considerable part of the multi-pulmonal augmenting implant as well as resulting in direct piercing damage to both the primary and secondary heart. This sequence of combined damage led to a cascading combination of physical and neural inhibitions or paralyzation, which culminated in an almost immediate inability to uphold even the basic circulatory processes which would be required to uphold even basic emergency cerebral functions. It is entirely clear from the extent and form of application of said sharp physical force that the attack was clearly designed and executed with the purpose and intent of ensuring a maximum level of damage with the explizit aim of a lethal outcome with xtensive knowledge of the physical processes involved and clearly aimed on being executed on a subject belonging to the Adeptus Astartes - ensuring a lethal outcome per extremis. This was clearly done with the stated purpose of killing a Space Marine with almost certain outcome and in the shortest amount of time possible as well as the intention of reducing the possibilities of countering the damage done or any form of response as much as possible.” An expression of grief seemed to play over the apothecary’s pale features. “So, as it stands, Brother Dendinius did indeed die as a direct result and the given time due to the wounds caused by the attack as performed by Brother Gerhardt.” Amaras shot the Mantis Warrior a sidelong look. The ghost of smile reached his lips. “ And there is no indication that his death might have been caused in anyway by something related to the Brother Liberian’s dietary choices.” There was a subdued cough. Amaras turned to the Watch-Captain and gave him a short nod . “My apologies, Watch Captain.” The smile faded. “Moving on…Brother Librarian Dendinius thus indeed died due to an expertly applied form of primarily sharp physical force designed and applied in a way that ensured the death of a member of the Adeptus Astartes. The level of skill involved in this is quite remarkable, as it is as sophisticated as it is clearly deliberate. It is certainly not something you would apply or perform from at a momentary lapse of judgment or loss of emotional control. This might seem obvious, but it is important to note that this emphasizes the initial impression that Brother- Librarian Dendinius was not just killed. His death was a caused intentionally and with clear and extensive deliberation. At the same time it also appears, at first glance at least, needlessly complex. Even if performed as an conscious act of execution, there are several other techniques that come to mind which would have provided a similar lethal outcome - especially in a rather confined environment like that of our deceased brother’s personal cell. This level of deliberation and precision would make the entire event extremely suspect on its own. And, as you can see here…” A flurry of gestures increased the magnification along the wound, pushing it intro a projection of microscopic overlays. “This is a close-up of the incision edge along the trajectory progression of the application of sharp force in progression along the line of entry on a cellular level. Note how this is an almost geometrically precise straight line along the edge of the cut. There is very little deviation along the trajectory, nor any extensive undulating displacement of the surrounding cellular tissue beyond the shearing of the mass and the weight of the weapon’s progression and the unavoidable direct and indirect heat derived deformation caused by the weapon’s power field. Horizontal and vertical drift along the entire line of cut are almost negligible. Even if we include the influence and effects of the extensive cauterization and sub-cellular compression caused by the direct and indirect thermal interaction caused by the power field as well as the effects of unavoidable reaction like subconscious micro-musculo-or physiological base line reaction to the direct stimuli or physical processes involved, this level of precision is absolutely… remarkable.“ Amaras paused. “Note that I mean this with no disregard to the abilities of any warrior, present company included. But this isn’t the work of a warrior. But I doubt eben one of the blade adepts of one of the wretched Aeldari could inflict a wound at this level of precision on someone in combat. This level of precision… the shape of the wound on display here… well, …it’s quite literally … surgical. In every sense of the word. There is virtually no way to inflict sharp edged damage at this level and over the length and area involved on a living subject in a combat situation. And these structures here” Amaras fingers flexed, skimming up and down along the hololithic imagery as he displayed his findings, focussing here, then re-focussing elsewhere on the details, then rushed towards the next. At this level of magnification, the cellular details shot past around the kill team eerily reminiscent of a fighter craft on an attack run at almost ground level. The Watch Captain felt suddenly grateful the Emperor’s great Work had granted the gift of Lyman’s Ear to his Chosen. “… are clearly proof of early onset immuno-baric and haemophilia-defensive processes, so we can indeed clearly establish that the body of Brother Dendinius was still physically alive at the time of the injury or at least shortly after the application and that his physiology attempted to react to the traumata it inflicted. The only other time I have seen histographic cell structuring like this would on something like a sample taken from a chirugeon’s work.” Amaras waved an armoured hand. The killteam found itself suddenly drifting along inside something like the straight lines long, very accurate rectangular hall. The Apothecary gestured at the crisply cut cellular walls. “Thus, the only we way this seems possible is to assume that the Brother-Librarian was not simply caught unaware or unconscious but, for some reason either massively sedated and or perhaps allowed …or maybe even willed… for Brother Gerhardt to perform this attack. Another hand gesture. The eerie landscape of the Librarian’s damaged inner workings fell away beneath them. For a moment, the kill team found themselves once more drifting around the rotating full body image of Dendinius again. Then they plunged down again like a drop assault from near orbit as Amaras zoomed into another point of interest. They raced towards the curved surface the Librarian’s inner arm. There was a set of shuffling noise as some of the Astartes unconsciously braced for the impending impact. “As Watch Captain Skaayn has already noted, there were no indications of a struggle or any sort of defensive action. And we could not find any further recent external injury during our examinations - except for this.” The image shot towards a slightly discolored pinprick along the skin, then widened into a sort of crater which opened into a tunnel like cavity as the hololithic projection rushed into ever higher levels of magnification. “Again, this is an application of outside physical force with a combination of initial sharp and tearing force and resulting displacement. But it’s obviously on a much smaller area of impact and features a clear circular application along the trajectory. Please note the textural composition of the wound cavity, as opposed to what I have shown you before” Zidemy looked around and immediately saw what the Apothecary meant. His calling and expertise as a Techmarine allowed him an almost reflexive insight into an object’s material properties and as a native of Nocturne provided him ample experience with the insides of subterranean structures. So, even if there had not been any form of context regarding his surroundings, he would have been able to identify the tunnel-like structure they were now witnessing as something clearly created artificially. The lines to straight, edges too sharp. His expert senses easily found some imperfections. A few scratches here and there, some hint of circular lining around the walls, where something had unevenly scratched along the way like some form of drill, even a slight detour where it might have wobbled for a moment at some inconsistency or resistance in the material as the work advanced. This tunnel was still very precise and thus clearly artificial but nothing like the laser etched sharpness they’d seen before. This tunnel…. Zidemy blinked. While he had intellectually processed the information already, suddenly, he was very consciously aware of the fact that he was technically inside a bullet hole… “… which was probably caused by the application of some sort of high velocity kinetic projectile of small dimensions and calibre “ Amaras continued, then shrugged. “I am an Apothecary and certainly not a forensic adept. But if I had to guess, I’d put a high probability that this was caused prior to the sword wound and most likely by some sort of needle weapon. Again, we have the corresponding early haemodynamic and immunobharic reactions which imply that this injury certainly occurred in vivo. So we now have two external injuries inflicted from the outside by force in relation to the death of Brother Dendinius. Most importantly, however, I was able to extract traces of a bio-chemical compound from this wound’s termination point which correspond with others sampled during the progressive post-mortem corporeal and haemo-analytical bio-alchemical rituals. I revisited these findings and the follow-up rituals again brought up these compounds in high contractions in various samples. That were especially plentiful among samples taken from various lines of supra- and trans-glomeric stratea of oolothic kidney tissues. Unfortunately, I was at first unable to identify this substance and could not not trace this to any substance in common use among the Apothecary of our Adeptus as it is not prescribed along the guidelines of the Codes Astartes.” Amaras paused, looked up at Skaayn, then each of the other Astartes in turn. “My current position as de facto Apothecary Primus of this Watch Bastion allows for some … liberties. This allowed me to broaden the search since I was able to establish partial access into the inquisitorial archives of the Bastion.” He took a deep breath. “I have thus been able to trace the alchemical compounds in question. They are in fact described as being employed in the creation and application in certain formula of high capacity verimeticae for use by operatives of the Ordos of HIS holy Inquisition. As a substance, this is apparently a high capacity sedative and hypnoticum intended to induce a heightened state of suggestibility and tranquillity. It seems primarily intended for use during interrogations. In the form encountered here, it has also obviously been explicitly adapted for use on Astartesian physiology. “ Amaras paused, letting this part sink in. “So can we must assume that, at the time of his death, Brother-Librarian Dendinius was heavily sedated and under the influence of a substance used primarily by the Inquisition. But I am afraid that’s not all..” The Apothecary waved his hand. The display flickered and a slowly turning heraldic sigil of the Deathwatch replaced the anatomical hololithic imagery. “Early diagnosticae screening already suggested potential additional intra-cranial damage. But due to the already substantial loss of structural integrity, we opted for in toto dissection of the upper cervical structures and the entire head immediately after the initial exterior examinations, to be removed and kept in stasis until we finished the majority of the post mortem internal examination protocols. The light of Emperor must have guided us in this.” Amaras looked even paler in the dim light of the hololith. He folded his hands over his armoured chest into the sign of the Aquila. “Once we retrieved the Verizon-cranial remains from stasis lock later on , the very initial trans-cranial cross-section immediately revealed upon evenpre-liminary visual inspection that the librarian’s brain had obviously been undergoing a series of massive, imminent and aggressively expanding phases of tera-genetic transmogrification.” There was another pause. The Apothecary of the Charnel Guard seemed to chew on his lower lip for moment, edges of pronounced, sharp eye teeth suddenly visible. “Again, my actual experience and overall circle of initiation into the Arts of the Apothecarion in these matters is - quite literally- rather limited here. Also, we immediately had to halt any further investigation to limit potential further exposure upon these findings. Again,being able to skim from some of this Bastion’s more… exotic… resources proved unexpectedly helpful. So at least I can present my suspicions regarding these findings with a substantial level of credibility.” Closing his eyes again, the Apothecary apparently calmed his thoughts by trying to put the unspeakable into a phrasing of more technical, if still occult terms. “Based on these findings, the process of transmogrification seems directly caused by at least imminent exposure, if not actual imminent influx of mutagenic empyrean energy. Most likely this was either directly or indirectly the result of some sort of exposition while under some sort of active psychic influence or usage of such an ability” There was at least one sharp intake of breath and a flurry of movement as several members of the kill team reflexively made signs of warding . “Given the extent of this process, this rapid neoplasticismatic transformation alone would have been undeniable lethal to Brother Dendinius on its own and most likely in extremely short order. At best estimation, with the apparent velocity of this development and the substantial exponential displacement at hand, increase in substance and continuing deformation of the surrounding neural and osseous substances, I’d project a high probability that at the culmination of final cerebral system failure might have been then accompanied by a sudden event of uncontrolled trans-cranial extrusional displacement.” Amaras opened his eyes again. He looked grim. “Looking at all things combined and in all likelihood, this turn of events was only prevented and did not occur due to timing and deliberation of the excessive injuries inflicted on the brother librarian’s body by the action of Brother Gerhardt shortly before.” The Charnel Guard licked his lips. “Upon its discovery, I had both the body and especially the remain of the upper cervical and cranial substance exhibits not only again stasis sealed but also placed under contra-empyric warding according to the essential rites regarding possible exposition or potential intrusion of empyrean energies. The servitor units used in the examination have been dismantled, their biological components cremated. The augmented components are being undergoing continued cleansing as we speak in preparation for similarly warded isolation until a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus of sufficient standing can be contacted on further proceedings. Likewise, the medicae serf staff involved have undergone putative mind-scrubbing and are currently in isolation, undergoing the proscribed rites of cleansing and purification before possible stasis warding until their potential fate regarding to the level of potential exposure and resulting risk of moral and empyrean contamination can be judged by suitable means.” Again, the hands of the Apothecary expressed the shape of the imperial Aquila. “The Emperor protects. Now. Sumis sumarum, from the findings of the post mortem examination rituals we can state that: A - Brother-Librarian Dendinius was indeed killed by a deliberate intrusion of sharp edged physical force enhanced by the application of sub-atomantic energy. The application of said force was almost instantly lethal and appears to been designed and performed with the clear idea and intent of projecting said lethal force by taking into consideration not only the fact that the subject at hand was a member of the Adeptus Astartes but also strongly hints that the attacker was aware of an active level of psychic action and possibly empyrean influence occurring within the primary neural processing matterof the deceased battle-brother “ B - At the time of his death, it must be assumed that Brother-Librarian Dendinius was under the influence of at least one substance not regulated by the Codex Astartes. The substance in question has been documented as being used by adepts of the Ordos of HIS Holy Inquisition. Said substance must be assumed to have been explicitly selected or at least deliberately adapted for use on a member of the Adeptus Astartes. It was most likely of a highly sedative, hypnotic and pro-suggestive nature. Said substance was introduced to the deceased physiology prior to his death, from the outside and by external means, at close quarters or possibly over a short distance. The selected form involved into the application is also outside of the regulations of the Codex Astartes. The findings open up the possibility of said substance being applied or at least supplied by an outside party. C - At the time of his death, the Brother-Librarian’s brain matter was in the process of undergoing a massive, imminent and aggressively expanding phase of tera-genetic transmogrification. Substantial evidence exits of this process of transmogrification being directly caused by at least imminent exposure, if not the actual imminent influx of a substantial amount of empyrean energies, in all likelihood either directly or indirectly caused due to some sort of direct exposition to or active use of some sort of psychic influence or use of psychic ability. Given the extent of this process, this rapid neoplasticismatic transformation alone would have been undeniable lethal on its own and in extremely short order. At best estimation, with the apparent velocity of this development and given the amount of substantial and exponential displacement , this increase in substance and assuming a continuing deformation of the surrounding neural and osseous substances would suggest that, at a very high probability, the state of final and terminal cerebral system failure might have been then accompanied by a sudden event of uncontrolled trans-cranial extrusional displacement, leading to to the explosive projection and exposition of physical as well as empyrean substances. D - Further direct or indirect harm by such a sudden exposure to empyrean energy, up to including the potential influx of empyrean entities did in all likelihood only not occur due to timing, choice and application of the excessive injuries inflicted on the brother librarian’s body by the actions of Brother Gerhardt just shortly before this course of events. E - The findings of these post mortem examination rituals can however not specify if the actions of Brother Gerhard were employed to consciously contain this chain of event with the intent of minimizing potential collateral physical and or empyreanic damage or if they were consciously intended to obscure the situation and the involvement of possible third parties by their potential reveal following such an event and the revelation of the extent of involvement of psychic and / or empyrean factors in this event by terminating the Brother Librarian beforehand by more obvious and clearly physical means.” Amaras let out a long breath. He looked at his assembled brothers. He realized he had very little experience on the outlook or expertise of the Astartes present. “I assume you understand that this situation is grave. Ley me put this in ..less big words: Yes. Brother Gerhardt killed the Librarian. With a very big sword. And while the Librarian was already drugged. With something used most often by the Inquisition. And while his brain was being warped inside his skull and only had not yet exploded at the time because either Brother Gerhardt put a sword through his neck or someone had Brother Gerhardt put a very big sword through him just before it could explode.” Amaras growled “Emperor help me! This isn’t a just murder - This is either an assassination or a bloody miracle! “ “ …..